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Bath

Dublin

London

May 12, 2015

Google ad extensions

An introduction:

Create more reasons to click on your ad!

Of course when the ad is clicked on more information is provided, but with huge online competition and lots of impatient and savvy shoppers out there, its a business’ job to provide as much information as possible and give those customers a reason to get clicking at the earliest opportunity.

This is where ad extensions come in. Ad extensions are a type of ad format that shows additional information; extending your text ads. Some ad extensions can be added manually and others are automated. They do not carry any additional cost to implement however like text ads they will cost per click.

As with all extensions, they might not show every time your ad appears. There are a variety of factors that affect whether your ad extension can show, including your bid, ad relevance, available space on the search results page, and other extensions or information.

Improved visibility

Extensions tend to improve your ad’s visibility, as they often appear above the search results, rather than along the sidebar (thus taking up more of the prime real estate in the Search Engine Results Pages or SERPs). If two competing ads have the same bid and quality, then Google will choose the ad with greater expected impact from extensions to appear in a higher position to the other – that is why it’s so important to make your ad extensions useful!

Better return on investment

The increased size of your presence as a result of the extra information will ensure more potential customers see your ad, but if the extra information is relevant, this will also add re-assurance to the customer, offering the opportunity not only for more clicks but also ones who should have a better understanding of your offering. Improving the click-through rate (CTR) will undoubtedly offer a better return on investment!

Types of manual extensions

Show links to specific pages on your website in addition to the main landing page. By adding sitelinks, you can immediately navigate customers to popular or high-converting sections of your website. This requires a minimum of two links and a maximum of six links, Google will alternate which ones appear at any one time.

Location extensions:

These extensions show your business address, phone number and a map marker with your text ad. On mobile, they can include a link with directions – perfect for customers on the go! Offering a location encourages customers to visit your store in person.

Allow people to click on a button that will give your business a phone call. This is helpful for anybody that wants reassurance from a sales consultant and further advice on your brand, campaign or product. For call-only campaigns, ads will only appear on devices capable of taking immediate action, i.e mobile.

App extensions:

Show a link below your ad text that showcases your mobile or tablet app, this link will send people to the app store or let them begin downloading your app. Only one app extension can be displayed per text ad and this will appear on mobile and tablet devices only. Apps are beneficial for any brand wanting to build customer loyalty and improve user experience.

Review extensions:

Here you can represent your brand or product with positive, third-party reviews from estimable sources. You can use a paraphrased or exact quote to add social proof, as long as it’s attributed and linked to the published source.

These extensions can add much more descriptive text to your ad that help people make more informed browsing and purchasing decisions. Callouts about your business may include delivery options and other customer service details. Similar to sitelinks, you will need a minimum of two and their appearance relies on performance, length and order.

Automated extensions

As you are aware, the more information you provide when setting up your account or campaign, the better your ad will perform. Automated extensions are pulled by Google from the information already provided. These extensions include; consumer ratings, previous visits, social extensions, dynamic structured snippets and seller ratings.

Are you making the most of Google ad extensions?

I will be creating a series of posts where I will go into much more detail about each ad extension and delve into which extensions are worth focusing on for your eCommerce business. I will be discussing this in terms of ad group, campaign and account.